Websites are made up of many factors. Given this, it can be difficult to determine what needs to be done to increase site speed and help your site reach excellence. Although there are many tools and tips that help increase site speed, one of the most overlooked factors is that of your site host location. Your hosting location is directly related to your site speed and thus can greatly affect your business if not handled in an intentional manner.
How your host location affects site speed
Data transfer is not instantaneous. Data is transferred from one location to another as it is carried through the internet by a network of cables. Although data can move very quickly, the farther information needs to travel, the longer it will take to get there. The amount of time this “journey” takes is called latency.
Why it matters
We live in a world where people expect everything instantaneously. Internet usage is no exception. Consumers have little patience for slow sites or timed out web pages. Your site’s ability to transfer data quickly and efficiently will have a direct effect on your business. Excessive delay reduces business, but efficiency brings people to you. Research shows that if your site takes longer than 3 seconds to load, 40% of people will abandon it entirely and go elsewhere. This means you have 3 seconds to get your site up and in front of a consumer to keep their attention. That leaves very little margin for error or delay.
How to address the problem
Although your hosting location will inevitably affect your speed, it can easily be addressed. When searching for a hosting location, try to find one as close to your target audience as possible. Who are you trying to reach with your site? If it is US-based companies, keep your hosting location in North America, but if you’re trying to reach an audience of remote workers based in another country, try to make your hosting location as close to them as possible. As the space between your target audience and your hosting location decreases, so will the amount of time it takes for data and information to travel from one point to another. Although site speed can be affected by a variety of factors, hosting location is one that can’t be ignored. Addressing this issue will invariably help increase your site speed.
We want to help!
Site Espresso is a service of Effect Web Agency, a boutique web design and development company based in Granger, Indiana. Our company has been helping clients design websites and grow website traffic for 15 years. We are currently the highest rated web agency in Northern Indiana. See what our clients say on our Effect site. You can also check out our reviews on Google. We have a team of 8 web specialists, focused on helping clients achieve real-world goals through their websites
